Feed-mill



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.p ADAM L. EPPLEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

FEED-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `'Patent No. 400,447', dated April 2, 1889.

Y Application filed July 2l, 1887. Serial No. 244,848. (No model.) I

To @ZZ when@ it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ADAM L. EPPLEY, a citizen of theUnited States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Feed-Mills, of which the following is a specification,,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention is an improvement in mills for grinding corn and other grain, and `is equally'well adapted to grindingcorn, cob and all, for feed or other grain.

Figure lis a View half in elevation and half in longitudinal section. Fig.r2 is a top view showing feed-.plate in hopper, a half being broken away, showing transverse section on line x, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line y, Fig. 1, a portion broken away to show burr on lower cone. Fig. 4 is aside View of upper cone. Y

A is the frame; B, the legs; C, grooved cone; D, ribs on the cone; E, boxing in which the hub of the outer ycylinder revolves; F, grinding-burr on the lower part of the cone-piece C; G, upper cone carrying crushing-teethH; K, washer; L, anti-friction balls; M, main shaft keyed stationary in frame A; N, ring attached: rigidly to shaft M; O, spring surrounding the shaft M in box I; P, outside cylinder or pulley; Q, arms connecting the cylinder with hub R; S, fly-wheel; T, burr on bottom of cylinder; U, hand-Wheel on the shaft M; V, split washer playing in groove W in the hand-wheel; X,'threads on hub of handwheel; Y, corresponding threads on the shaft; a, the hopper;b, arms radiating from the collar h, that rests on the top of cone G; c, lower half of feed-plate; d, upper half of feedplate; e, triangular openings in the feed-plates;

4o f, thumb-screw for setting the feed-plates; z',

curved teeth on inside of the' cylinder; g, teeth or vertical ribs on the inside of the lower half of cylinder P.

The object ofV my'invention and the con-` struction of the same are fully set forth below.

Heretofore mills ofl this class havebeen too complex, composed of too many pieces, or having so many bearing parts as to produce too much friction.l To lessen the cost of construction, amount of friction between parts, and to simplify and make a more effective mill have been my aim. To this View I locate the ears from sliding off the ends.

a stationary upright shaft, M, in the center of a frame, A, which frame 'has on its outside edge or perimeter abeveled grinding-burr, F. .Iournaled on shaft M is a hub, R, having radial arms Q extending out from its center, to which is attached the cylinder P, on the inside of the upper half of which are attached the curved crushing-teeth 1.'. On the inside of the lower half of the cylinder is a series of vertical, or nearly vertical, ribs g, tapering toward the sides of the cylinder as they approach the burr T on the lower edge of the cylinder. y On the stationary shaft M, and havin 'boxes E and I, in which the hub R of the cylinder is journaled, are two cone-shaped castings, the lower one, C, being rigidly attached to the frame, or being part of it, as well as to the shaft M, on which it has endwise motion.

v The upper cone is keyed fast to the shaft or attached by set-screws. Y

Between the bottom of the hub R and bottom of the box in cone O is a ring, N, rigidly attached to the shaft M. On this the hub rests.

Between the topV of the box in cone G and the top of the hub is a coiled spring, O, washer or plate K, and a series of anti-friction balls, L. the shaft in the upper part of the cylinder, has one or more sets of curved teeth-on each side of the cone. These teeth are arranged in a stepped manner-'that is, the top one is advanced a short distance beyond the one below and this one a short distance in advance of the next one below, and so 011 through the series. The teeth on the inside of the upper half of the cylinder are arranged in the same manner, only the steps incline in the other direction, so that the rsttooth or the top.

tooth on the inside of the cylinder and the top tooth on the top cone will pass when the bottom teeth are the farthestapart, the teeth thus forming an inverted A, and having a tendency to crowd the corn downward while running. The teeth are slightly curved to keep As the crushed corn and cob or whatever grain is bein g ground falls from the upper cone it passes between the radial 'arms Q (connecting the hub R and cylinder P) into the space between the tapering ribs D and g, and is gradually The coneG, attached rigidly to f IOO reduced until it reaches the burrs F T, where itis ground to the iineness desired. The fineness of the grist is regulated by turning the hand-wheel U at the bottom of the shaft and advancing or retracting the shaft lll, which has threads Y on its lower end fitting in the threads X in the hand-wheel.

When the mill is grinding, the pressure of the hub (from the crowding upward of the grain between the burrs) is against the top of the box I in the cone G. To make as little resistance as possible, I place a series of balls in the boxing above the hub R, and above these a washer or plate, between which and the hub the balls are free to revolve Above this plate in the boxing I locate a coilspring, O, that has a tendency to always keep the hub down, and to keep the burr T always down close to the burr F, but yet free to yield for obstructions to pass through the burrs, should any accidentally be present.

In operation, the driving-belt is put around the cylinder or body P, which acts as a pulley, doing away with all other gears or pulleys necessary in other mills. The 'flywheel S is rigidly attached to the cylinder just above the belt, but may be located on any part of the cylinder desired. The hand-wheel Uhas a groove in its hub, in which a split Washer, V, attached to the frame tits, allowing the wheel and hub to revolve, but preventing it from rising or falling.

On the top et cone G is mounted a collar, 7L, having radial arms b eX- tending out therefrom, to the outer ends of which is attached the hopper ct. In the bottom of this hopper a plate, c, having triangular openings e therein, its. Attached to this and sliding on it is another plate, (l, having similar openings in it. ,These plates have a common center, and by revolving,r the upper plate on the lower one the openings can be regulated to suit the kind of grain being fed. Vhen corn in the ear is being fed, the plates are taken out.

IVhat I claim as new isl', In a grinding-mill, the combination of the revolving cylinder P, having the hub R formed thereon, the stationary cones G and C, formed with boxes in which the upper and lower ends ot said hub work, the grindingburrs attached, respectively, to the cone C and cylinder P, substantially as described.

2. The shaft M, the hub R, cylinder P, supported on the hub by the radial arms Q, the ring N forming a seat for hub R, and the regulating-wheel U, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADAM L. EPPLEY.

Witnesses: M. GRIDLEY, FRANK SHOWERS. 

